Early Adopter Grateful for Traditions

Tag: God is with us

I have been described in a number of settings as an “early adopter.” In case you haven’t heard this term before it is the definition of those who fall in the 10 to 15 percent of a group who are likely to respond to a new idea with, “let’s go for it!!” Early adopters tend to like change and get enthused by new ideas. It is, I think, an accurate assessment of who I tend to be.

However, I like tradition too − in some cases. I remember well my second year as a District Superintendent. The first year in this appointment was wonderful. It was a whole new ministry experience and after over three decades as a local church pastor, the shift in routine and activity was energizing. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a local church pastor. It is the heart of my calling and it has given me tremendous joy through the years, but that first year (and the years since) brought new and different ministry opportunities that were wonderful as well.

In the middle of my second year as a DS I realized something. It happened right about this time in December. I realized, as I attended various worship services throughout the District, people weren’t doing it right! The traditions and Advent practices that I brought and we celebrated in churches I served were not the ones most of the churches I was attending were doing. And I missed those traditions! I missed the traditions I had come to value and sharing those elements of worship with the congregations.

I’m glad I’m an early adopter. It helps me to be a bit more comfortable with change. As most of us are aware, change is a constant in the world we live in, and therefore needs to be relatively constant in the churches where we worship and serve. But, I’m grateful for traditions as well. I’m grateful for those things that remind us of who we have been and indeed who we still are.

So I pray that this Advent and Christmas season hold the best of both the new and the traditional for you. I pray that you will find joy in it all. I pray that you will discover a new sense of peace and hope as together we seek to follow the star and find our way to Bethlehem again this year.

I have spoken to or overheard several people in the last few weeks and months say something along the line of, “I have stopped watching the news. I just can’t bring myself to turn it on.” Now most of these individuals were not saying that because they believed the news to be inaccurate or “fake.” They were feeling as though the news itself is simply too painful. The shared feeling is that it puts them in such a state of either depression or anger that for their own mental and spiritual heath they had decided they needed to take something of a break from the constant barrage 24 hour news brings to us. I understand that feeling.

I’m also aware that there are others, maybe others reading these words, for whom the news over the last year or so has been the kind of thing they have wanted to hear for years. These persons believe that overall things are headed in the right direction politically and they celebrate what they see as positive changes.

Neither of these broad groups of people understand one another. And we wonder if there was ever a time when we were so divided. And while I find myself very clearly on a “side” in the debate, I am also as concerned as anyone about the state of the cultural divide in which we live today.

I know there have been many times when we have felt a similar cultural divide. I mean we had a civil war where we were actually killing one another over issues that divided us. In the 1960’s and 70’s the divide took many to the streets where tens of, hundreds, even thousands of people marched in protest of the US war in Southeast Asia and for civil rights.

Now, I am not at all trying to minimize the current cultural divide nor am I suggesting there are not some significant ways in which the basis for the current divide is not even more ominous than at other points in our history. What I am suggesting is that the differences and struggles are not new. While it indeed is difficult when, (as others I have spoken with express), the anticipation of Christmas dinner brings stress because we know those differences will show up and will make conversation and digestion problematic. We need in the midst of our differences to find a way to celebrate our sameness. I confess, I don’t always know how to do that in our polarizations. Sometimes, often times, it would be easier to just stay where it is safe and people think as we do. But unless we at least prayerfully try to understand one another both in our broader culture, and in our divisions within the church (which is a whole other conversation!), we will continue to live life in isolation listening to our particular brand and perspective and seeing one another as “the other.”

2,000 years ago the one, the angel, called the “Prince of Peace” was born. Would that we might discover, in these trying days, the gift of that One again.

I don’t have the answer. I wish so much that I did. But I continue to struggle. You see I believe Jesus when he says that those who live by the sword will die by the sword. I love the name we give Jesus calling him “Prince of Peace.” I believe that the concept of Christian pacifism is a very legitimate understanding of how we are called to live as followers of Christ.

But I just watched a 60 Minutes story on the ongoing struggle in Syria. The story highlighted the work of Syrian doctors from the U.S. who have been going to Aleppo and other war-torn parts of Syria to provide medical care to all the people injured in the war. The story reported the fact that Syrian president Assad has been targeting the hospitals where the doctors are working. With both barrel bombs and chemical weapons the Assad government has targeted those already injured in the war. This, as the reporters in the story pointed out, was the first identified war crime. This war crime was the basis for the forming of the Geneva Convention and the founding of the Red Cross to stop this horrific behavior.

Whenever I hear such stories, (and there are of course many other stories of unspeakable violence carried out by individuals and governments), I struggle to understand and follow what Jesus seems to ask of us.

To most, even in the church, it feels like a “no-brainer.” Of course we fight back. Of course we must stop the mad men and women of the world. And since most of them seem to have barrel bombs or AK-47s, we need to respond in kind. And I understand the logic in that thinking. I understand why I have had several calls over the past couple of weeks about having guns in church in light of the church shooting in Texas.

But it seems to me that Jesus often challenges us to go beyond logical thinking. Jesus calls us to see the future not just the right now. He invites us to see the long term consequences not just the immediate results. Jesus seems to me to be inviting us to understand that every act of violence brings about the next and the next and the next and the only way to stop it is to not live by the sword anymore regardless of the situation. It seems like that is what the cross teaches us too.

But just about the time I’m settled on that, I think of the people in the hospitals in Aleppo. Do we simply pray while the bombs continue? Paul gives us some insight perhaps when he speaks to the Romans about the government and its authority to “wield the sword” in Romans 13. But is he simply outlining the way things are, or the way of Christ?

I don’t have the answer and people way smarter, with deep faith, come down in different places on this issue. But as angry as I get at the injustice and violence in our world, the absolutely awful things that are done and especially the violence perpetrated against children; as much as my heart cries out for justice and for the offenders to “pay” or at least be stopped violently if necessary, a part of me still believes that Jesus has a way that is real and different. It is a way that leads to life. And it is a way that never includes a sword.

As we begin our Advent Journey this year, in the midst of a very violent world, may we consider how we might make peace, how we might find the alternate way, how we might be a part of fighting evil not with evil, but with love. It won’t be easy. Most will probably reject it out of hand as foolhardy, perhaps even unloving. But if we truly believe in Jesus’ call to live, love even in the face of evil, then we need to continue to look for that alternative way to engage. Perhaps a way that changes people and institutions instead of just trying to overpower the current version.

There are a number of things I thought about putting into Castings this week. Certainly the news is full of issues I might have addressed and invited us to see from our faith perspective. There are issues in the General Church that could have provided conversation and reflection as we seek to find our way forward through our differences to where God might call us to go. There are things going on in my own life that I thought about inviting you into using as a relational connection with the kinds of struggles we all face and again inviting us to see God in the midst of it all.

But, ultimately, I don’t want to go to any of those places. I am not up this morning for engaging in deep political discussion or theological debate or even a conversation about my wonderful grandchildren (well, maybe that!).

In the midst of the violence, the contention, the pain, the stress, the fear, and the uncertainty that every day seems to bring, I just want to share one thing with you this week, it is these words from Jesus:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.Not as the world gives do I give to you.Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
~ John 14:27

As we get closer to the time when we will begin this journey as one Annual Conference, I thought it might be helpful to outline for you some of the plans as we move into this new reality.

First, by January 1, 2018 (and probably before) we will have the final boundaries of the new 9 Districts in place and that will be shared across the state. As you, hopefully, are aware we are moving from 12 Districts which make up the current West Michigan and Detroit Annual Conferences to 9 Districts that will make up the new Michigan Annual Conference. That means of course that all 9 Districts will be new entities with new names as well as congregational makeup.

But before the Grand Rapids District closes, we are going to have a celebration! On January 27, 2018 from 9:00am – noon we will gather to celebrate the 50 years of ministry we have shared in the United Methodist Grand Rapids District. Our former District Superintendent, now Bishop Laurie Haller, will be preaching as we gather for worship. We’ll hear stories of where we have been and what has been accomplished as we have walked together these five decades. So make sure that this date is on your calendar, you will not want to miss it! Details are coming soon.

Then as we look forward to the beginning of the “new” District we will have some opportunities to get together in regions to talk about hopes and dreams. That process will culminate in an Organizing District Conference on Sunday, April 22, 2018. At that Conference we will elect the needed Disciplinary Committees, District Committee on Ministry, District Committee on Building and Location, and the District Committee on Superintendency. We will also elect a District Visioning Team that will lead us into our first year helping us to discern what leadership structure we will need going forward. It has not been finally decided at this point, but we may also be selecting a name for the District at that organizing conference.

Then on July 1, 2018 we will begin functioning as 9 Districts in one Annual Conference. The caveat to that July 1 beginning is that from a legal and financial perspective we will not be the Michigan Annual Conference officially until January 1, 2019. We are still working on how those details will be worked out in that six month period, but I trust and am sure we will find our way.

These are exciting times and I look forward, as I hope you do, to the ways our new District and our new Annual Conference will help congregations make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world!

As I have gone around to our churches over my years as a District Superintendent I have often asked this question: If we had all the financial resources of the United Methodist’s in Michigan and we had all the people resources of the United Methodist‘s in Michigan and we were starting brand new today, would we deploy ourselves as we are now deployed?

It is a rhetorical question because the very clear answer is absolutely not. Of course we would not build our churches where they are today if we were starting over. We have hundreds of churches that were built in a time when people walked to church. We have hundreds of churches that were built when people rode horses to church! We are deployed to carry out the mission of the church 50 to 100 years ago. Unfortunately, we are living in a very different time and the problem is we seem to be trying to hold on to that past even though most of us know it’s not working.

The reason I keep asking my question is that I dream of a day when we will take seriously the challenge of engaging the mission of reaching the world today with the love of Christ. I dream of a Michigan United Methodist Church that is willing, across the board, to do whatever it takes to make the shifts, the mergers of congregations, the closing of congregations, the beginning of new congregations, and all the other actions necessary, to deploy ourselves in a way that will enable us to appropriately engage the landscape of today. It will be a huge lift I know! We are so connected to our buildings. We are so focused on what works for us and what meets our needs. And when push comes to shove that reality too often becomes the ultimate consideration.

But I still keep dreaming. I keep dreaming of a church whose first question is always about those who aren’t here yet. I dream of a church that will not stop asking what’s next, and how can we do it better, and what will it take to reach our community, our city, our state, our world with the message of God’s grace. I keep dreaming of a church that is willing to sacrifice any (to use Wesley’s term) “non-essential”, worship style, structure, our buildings, our power, our money, anything to fulfill the mission of effectively, passionately, prayerfully, participating in the building of the Kingdom of God on earth even as it is in heaven.

I keep dreaming…

But I want to invite us all to do more than dream. I want to invite us to pray, to talk, to really look seriously at the situation we face and the mission before us. I invite us to take action. I invite us to begin conversations with the 2, 3, 8 United Methodist Churches around us asking ourselves is there a way that we could do this better? Could we strategically redeploy ourselves in this community, this city, this county to more effectively be the Church? I have been a part of those conversations both as a Superintendent and as a Pastor and they have led to some pretty wonderful things. We must begin these conversations. We must begin to dream together. We must be willing to let go and allow God to lead us in new ways. Cause I don’t think those horse riding days are coming back.

I was in a conversation the other day with some friends and I don’t remember how we got on the subject, but we started talking about fears. Most of us had one or more of the fairly common types, heights, snakes, enclosed places, and it was interesting to listen and watch the animation that went along with each description to understand the depth of our struggles.

It seems like there is a lot to fear these days. Beyond the phobias I was discussing with my friends, there is a lot of uncertainty around us and that often breeds fear. There are fears related to gun violence and there are fears related to terrorism. There are fears related to international relations and the threats of nuclear confrontation. There are also fears in many of our churches.

We are declining, we are struggling financially, we are not sure what will happen as we move into the 2019 special General Conference, we are not sure what’s next. And in the midst of any and all of these fears it is easy to move to a place of debility. It’s easy to move to a place where our fears rule our actions and we move into a reactive, protective mode and I understand that emotion and desire. We want something safe we want assurance that in the midst of our fears it will be OK.

As people of faith we have that assurance. Faith is not a panacea. It doesn’t wipe out our fear and it doesn’t magically do away with the issues behind our fears. But our faith does enable us to see our fears from a different place, and from a different perspective. Our faith in God who is always working for good, who is the essence of good, and who is acting, both in our world and in us, to bring forward that good in every circumstance and situation, our faith in God enables us to see and move beyond our fears.

Knowing who God is helps us to engage our fears with hope and with purpose knowing that God is working with us to see God’s Kingdom come on earth even as it is in heaven. Faith in God, evidenced so perfectly in Christ Jesus, empowers us to live differently. Not in denial of the situation, not simply believing that God will just somehow fix it all apart from us, but rather knowing that God is with us working for good in the midst of our very real fears and knowing that even if our worst fears are realized it is not the end, but in God there is always a step forward.

Jesus promise put it so well in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

This week rather than writing my own words I want to share with you a resolution adopted at our 2016 General Conference and thus included in our Book of Resolutions. Somehow it seemed appropriate.

“As followers of Jesus, called to live into the reality of God’s dream of shalom as described by Micah, we must address the epidemic of gun violence so “that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in God’s paths.” Therefore, we call upon United Methodists to prayerfully address gun violence in their local context. Some of the ways in which to prevent gun violence include the following:

For congregations to make preventing gun violence a regular part of our conversations and prayer times. Gun violence must be worshipfully and theologically reflected on, and we encourage United Methodist churches to frame conversations theologically by utilizing resources such as “Kingdom Dreams, Violent Realities: Reflections on Gun Violence from Micah 4:1-4” produced by the General Board of Church and Society.

For congregations to assist those affected by gun violence through prayer, pastoral care, creating space, and encouraging survivors to share their stories, financial assistance, and through identifying other resources in their communities as victims of gun violence and their families walk through the process of grieving and healing.

For individual United Methodists who own guns as hunters or collectors to safely and securely store their guns and to teach the importance of practicing gun safety.

For United Methodist congregations that have not experienced gun violence to form ecumenical and interfaith partnerships with faith communities that have experienced gun violence in order to support them and learn from their experiences.

For United Methodist congregations to lead or join in ecumenical or interfaith gatherings for public prayer at sites where gun violence has occurred and partner with law enforcement to help prevent gun violence.

For United Methodist congregations to partner with local law-enforcement agencies and community groups to identify gun retailers that engage in retail practices designed to circumvent laws on gun sales and ownership, encourage full legal compliance, and to work with groups like Heeding God’s Call that organize faith-based campaigns to encourage gun retailers to gain full legal compliance with appropriate standards and laws.

For United Methodist congregations to display signs that prohibit carrying guns onto church property.

For United Methodist congregations to advocate at the local and national level for laws that prevent or reduce gun violence. Some of those measures include:

Universal background checks on all gun purchases

Ratification of the Arms Trade Treaty

Ensuring all guns are sold through licensed gun retailers

Prohibiting all individuals convicted of violent crimes from purchasing a gun for a fixed time period

Prohibiting all individuals under restraining order due to threat of violence from purchasing a gun

Prohibiting persons with serious mental illness, who pose a danger to themselves and their communities, from purchasing a gun

Ensuring greater access to services for those suffering from mental illness

Establishing a minimum age of 21 years for a gun purchase or possession

Banning large-capacity ammunition magazines and weapons designed to fire multiple rounds each time the trigger is pulled

Promoting new technologies to aid law-enforcement agencies to trace crime guns and promote public safety.”

We’ve been celebrating our connection with Liberia lately. As you are perhaps aware, the Detroit Conference has had a long standing partnership and covenant with Liberia. And as we begin this new thing as the Michigan Annual Conference soon, we are seeking to invite churches and individuals from our side of the state to engage with this important ministry as well.

We, on the Grand Rapids District, have had a head start on this endeavor as we have connected with the Lofa River District of Liberia and just a week and a half ago completed our effort to get Superintendent Cecilia Mapleh a truck to enable more effective ministry on her district (click HERE to read the story and see recent photos!)

Last night Bishop Quire, the newly elected Bishop of the Liberian Annual Conference, was here on our District sharing about both his vision for and the needs of his country and the church. He also shared great appreciation for the truck!

After Bishop Quire shared for a bit we asked questions and one of the questions was what are the primary needs of the people in Liberia? The Bishop’s response was telling, “Well” he said, “I hesitate to give you the whole grocery list!” Friends, there is indeed a grocery list! I listened to stories about parts of Liberia where the church has begun orphanages for children whose parents died during the Ebola crisis. As the Bishop shared about the lack of schools, medical care, clean water and other needs in many rural areas of the country and the fact that due to the years of civil war there is at least a generation that has very little if any education. As he spoke about his vision of building up the agriculture abilities especially with the amount of land that the church owns. As he lifted up the challenges and the commitment of the Pastors and Superintendents who walk miles to serve their churches and people and who experience and embrace extraordinary sacrifices to do it.

As I listened to all that he shared, I thought about some of the things that had taken my attention and energy during the earlier parts of the day. I thought about some of the things that had annoyed me or caused me some level of stress. And while those things are real and a part of my life and yours as I laid them alongside some of the things Bishop Quire shared with us, the distance between them was significant.

Now I’ve not always been good about knowing what to do with that. I tend to feel guilty and sometimes that’s all that happens because the problems seem so big (because they are), and I don’t know where to start. And so I turn on the TV and go on with my life. I can’t fix it all so I struggle to feel like anything I do makes any real difference.

We learned last night that to put a child through high school for a year costs $300. So we took up an offering and raised $300.00 among the eight of us that were there. One child will go to school because we met together last night.

Liberia still has lots of problems. And that’s just Liberia. I could write lots of other articles about the plight of Puerta Rico devastated by hurricanes, other countries and people who are living with war and daily life and death uncertainties.

But a Superintendent on the Lofa River District has a truck because of the gifts of our District, and one child will go to school next year who wouldn’t have been able to go had we not met last night. I guess it’s a start.

Many of you will remember that two years ago during each of our Church Conferences we received an offering the proceeds of which were to go for the purchase of a four wheel drive vehicle for Rev. Cecilia Mapleh, District Superintendent of the Lofa District in Liberia. Folks gave at the church conferences and folks continued to give after the church conferences were completed.

Ultimately we reached the goal of $17,000 to purchase the used truck that would take DS Cecilia to her appointed rounds, enabling her to be more effective in caring for the people and churches of her very rural and often isolated district. We reached that goal in the early part of 2016, and in my mind I expected that DS Mapleh would be on the road by February. But…it didn’t work out that way!

We have been working with the General Board of Global Ministries, the Liberia Annual Conference and many others to accomplish this task ever since the money was raised. We have been in phone and email contact with Cecilia and many others at least every other week. It was nobody’s fault. Everyone was seeking to make it happen, but finding a safe and effective means of carrying out this mission was a challenge, to say the least.

But thanks be to God, while there may be trouble in the night, Joy comes in the Morning! After some 18 months of finding our way forward, this past week, we received word that the money had arrived and the truck had been purchased. We also received some wonderful pictures of Cecilia heading down one of the dirt roads of her district, no longer on foot or on a bicycle that doesn’t work at all in the rainy season, but driving a gift from co-workers in Christ from the Grand Rapids District.

As I looked at those pictures (below) my heart was warmed and I was reminded again that while we can’t solve all of the problems of the third world, while we can’t fix all the issues of Liberia, we can make a difference for one servant of Christ and the District she serves. You have done that. It took a while! But you have made that difference. Thank you!